HC Deb 10 January 2002 vol 377 cc983-5W
Ms Oona King

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) if he will publish a summary of the responses he received to the consultation paper on Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation in England, issued by his Department in 1999; and if he will place copies of the responses in the Library; [25541]

(2) when he intends to undertake formal consultation on reforms to the Housing (Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation) Regulations 1990; and if he will make a statement. [25543]

Ms Keeble

I hope to publish both of these papers in the near future. However, what we say on these matters will need to have regard to the position reached on the Home Energy Conservation Bill, currently before Parliament, which among other things would provide for a revised definition of a house in multiple occupation and introduce mandatory registration and licensing of such properties.

Ms Oona King

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many(a)households and (b) people in private rented HMO dwellings there are in England, broken down by (i) traditional and bedsit HMOs, (ii) shared houses and flats, (iii) households with lodgers and (iv) HMO buildings converted into flats. [25542]

Ms Keeble

The table provides the most recent estimates (1996) for number of households and people in private rented HMO dwellings in England.

1Estimates of the number of households and people in private rented HMOs in 1996
Households People
Traditional or bedsit HMOs 165,000 267,000
Shared houses and flats 188,000 547,000
Households with lodgers 202,000 2253,000
HMO buildings converted into flats3 302,000 472,000
Total4 857,000 1,539,000
1 There is a margin of error involved in the estimates arising from the sample nature of the English House Condition Survey and from the complexities of classifying some types of HMO.
2 The number of people refers to the number of lodgers and excludes the landlord and members of the landlord's household.
3 Shared converted flats, households with lodgers in converted flats and bedsits in converted flats are included in the respective columns and not in the converted flat total.
4 Please note that the total excludes households and people within private rented, purpose built HMOs for which the EHCS sample size is too small to produce reliable estimates.

Source:

English House Condition Survey 1996: Houses in Multiple Occupation in the private rented sector (DTLR: 1999)

Ms Oona King

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many private rented houses in multiple occupation accommodation units and dwellings there are in England, broken down by(a) traditional and bedsit HMOs, (b)shared houses and flats, (c) households with lodgers and (d) HMO buildings converted into flats. [25590]

Ms Keeble

The table provides the most recent estimates (1996) for the number of private rented house in multiple occupation accommodation units and dwellings in England.

Estimates1 of the number of private rented HMO accommodation units and dwellings in 1996
Accommodation units Dwellings
Traditional or bedsit HMOs 219,000 56,000
Shared houses and flats 189,000 189,000
Estimates1 of the number of private rented HMO accommodation units and dwellings in 1996
Accommodation units Dwellings
Households with lodgers 202,000 202,000
HMO buildings converted into flats2 337,000 337,000
Total3 947,000 784,000
1 There is a margin of error involved in the estimates arising from the sample nature of the English House Condition Survey and from the complexities of classifying some types of HMO.
2Shared converted flats, households with lodgers in converted flats and bedsits in converted flats are included in the respective columns and not in the converted flat total.
3 Please note that the total excludes accommodation units and dwellings within private rented, purpose built HMOs for which the EHCS sample size is too small to produce reliable estimates.

Source:

English House Condition Survey 1996: Houses in Multiple Occupation in the private rented sector (DTLR: 1999)